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Taxon:  Galega officinalis L.



Summary
Genus:
Galega
Family:
Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)
Subfamily:
Faboideae
Tribe:
Galegeae
Subtribe:
Galeginae
Nomen number:
70971
Place of publication:
Sp. pl. 2:714. 1753
Verified:
01/13/1992 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
34 (32  active, 30  available) in Australian Pastures Genebank.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Galega bicolor Boiss. & Hausskn. ex Regel
Galega patula Steven
No images


Reference(s)
  1. Afonin, A. N., S. L. Greene, N. I. Dzyubenko, & A. N. Frolov, eds. Interactive agricultural ecological atlas of Russia and neighboring countries. Economic plants and their diseases, pests and weeds (on-line resource).
  2. Aldén, B., S. Ryman & M. Hjertson. Våra kulturväxters namn - ursprung och användning. Formas, Stockholm (Handbook on Swedish cultivated and utility plants, their names and origin). 2009
  3. Bisset, N. G., ed. Herbal drugs and phytopharmaceuticals. A handbook for practice on a scientific basis. 1994
  4. Burkart, A. E., ed. Flora ilustrada de Entre Rios. 1969-
  5. Cooper, M. R. & A. W. Johnson. Poisonous plants and fungi in Britain: animal and human poisoning. 1998
  6. Cronquist, A. et al. Intermountain flora. 1972-
  7. Davis, P. H., ed. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands. 1965-1988
  8. Duke, J. A. et al. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. 2002
  9. Encke, F. et al. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage. 1984
  10. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  11. Grellin, J. K. & J. Philpott. A reference guide to medicinal plants. 1990
  12. Holm, L. et al. A geographical atlas of world weeds. 1979
  13. Huxley, A., ed. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. 1992
  14. Jahandiez, E. & R. Maire. Catalogue des plantes du Maroc. 1931-1941
  15. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. Hortus third. 1976
  16. Lock, J. M. Legumes of Africa: a checklist. 1989
  17. Marzocca, A. 1994. Guia descriptiva de malezas del cono sur. 123.
  18. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
  19. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
  20. Mouterde, P. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie. 1966-
  21. Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. Flora of [West] Pakistan. 1970-
  22. Pignatti, S. Flora d'Italia. 1982
  23. Quézel, P. & S. Santa. Nouvelle flore de l'Algerie. 1962-1963
  24. Rechinger, K. H., ed. Flora iranica. 1963-
  25. Roizin, M. B. 1959. The root nodules of leguminous plants of the Kola Peninsula [in Russian]. Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad) 44:467-474.
  26. Smythies, B. E. Flora of Spain and the Balearic Islands: checklist of vascular plants. Englera 3:1-882. 1984-1986
  27. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. Flora europaea. 1964-1980
  28. Van Wyk, B.-E. & M. Wink. Medicinal plants of the world. 2004
  29. Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. World economic plants: a standard reference (on-line edition) [medicinal plants only].
  30. Yakovlev, G. P. et al. Legumes of Northern Eurasia. 1996
Common names
English
galega –
goat's-rue –
Swedish
getruta –
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNote
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaAlgeria  
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaMorocco  
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaTurkey  
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentPakistan  
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeAustria  
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeCzechoslovakia  
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeGermany  
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropeHungary  
1NativeEuropeMiddle EuropePoland  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeAlbania  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeBulgaria  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeFormer Yugoslavia  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeGreece  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeItaly  
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeRomania  
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeFrance  
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeSpain  
2Cultivated     
4Naturalized     
Native
Africa
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Morocco
Asia-Temperate
  • WESTERN ASIA: Turkey
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Pakistan
Europe
  • MIDDLE EUROPE: Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, Poland
  • SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Former Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Romania
  • SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain, France
Cultivated ()
Naturalized ()
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Animal foodforage Yakovlev, G. P. et al. Legumes of Northern Eurasia. 1996
Bee plantshoney production Yakovlev, G. P. et al. Legumes of Northern Eurasia. 1996
Environmentalornamental Huxley, A., ed. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. 1992
Medicinesfolklore McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
Vertebrate poisonsmammals Cooper, M. R. & A. W. Johnson. Poisonous plants and fungi in Britain: animal and human poisoning. 1998
Weedpotential seed contaminant Holm, L. et al. A geographical atlas of world weeds. 1979
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2025. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://apg.pir.sa.gov.au/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=70971. Accessed 20 July 2025.


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